This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987, and worked as a veterinary surgeon for 7 years. Afterward, Dr. Elliott worked as a veterinarian at an animal clinic for over a decade.

There are 36 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Baby rabbits are small, sweet and furry animals that can require a lot of care. Whether you find a nest of orphaned babies, which are also called kittens, or your pet rabbit has rejected her babies, you may need to feed the rabbits to help them thrive. By feeding at appropriate times of the day and the proper amount and type of food, you can help baby rabbits have a good start to life.

Steps

Part 1

Feeding Baby Rabbits Formula

1

Confirm that the mother is not feeding the kittens. Before you take a baby rabbit away from its mother or think it’s orphaned, make sure the mother is not feeding it or that she is a risk to the kitten. Mother rabbits feed their kittens about twice a day and only for five minutes. The babies also do not need the mother to keep them warm. If the babies do not seem distressed, even if the mother is away from them a lot, the mother is likely just taking a break and you should not interfere.[1]

Neglected baby rabbits are cold, cry for more than a few minutes at feeding time, are blue, or their skin is shriveled from dehydration.[2]

Some mothers may reject their babies, and in these cases you should separate the babies from her so that she doesn’t harm them.[3]

Don’t assume an unattended nest of wild baby rabbits is orphaned. Check on them frequently before you take them in to feed them. If they seem content, it is unlikely that they have been abandoned.[4]

Only 10% of hand-reared rabbits survive, so it is better to leave them in the wild whenever possible.

2

Purchase replacement milk for the baby rabbits. If you are going to feed baby rabbits, you’ll need to purchase replacement milk for them. Rabbit milk is the most caloric of all mammals’ milk, so you’ll need to make sure you get the proper replacement and amounts.[5]

Buy Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) or goat milk to feed the babies. You can purchase these at pet stores or sometimes at a local vet’s office.[6]

You can supplement each can of KMR with one tablespoon of sugar-free 100% heavy whipping cream to increase the calories and mimic the rich mother’s milk.[7]

You can also supplement the KMR by adding a bit of acidophilus to the formula. This can help baby rabbits maintain healthy intestinal bacteria.[8] Acidophilus is available at most health food stores.[9]

3

Buy syringes or eyedroppers for feedings. Baby rabbits won’t usually eat from a bottle, so make sure to have some sterile oral syringes or eyedroppers on hand to feed them. This will help you control the amount the kittens eat and help mimic the size of a mother’s nipple.[10]

You can buy oral syringes or eyedroppers at most pharmacies. Vet’s offices and pet stores may also have special options for pets.

4

Mix the replacement milk formula. Baby rabbits will nurse from birth until they are about 6 weeks old, and you’ll need to mix enough formula to feed them at different ages. By splitting the formula into two equal feedings a day, you can help ensure your baby rabbit is getting sufficient nutrition.[11]

Remember to mix one tablespoon of 100% sugar-free heavy whipping cream with each can of Kitten Replacement Milk.[12] You can also add the pinch acidophilus at this time, too.

Rabbits that are 3 – 6 weeks old or until they are weaned get 30 cc formula.[16]

5

Give the baby rabbit its formula. Once you’ve mixed the formula, you can feed your baby rabbit twice a day. It’s important to feed them similarly to how they feed from their mothers to help them stay healthy and grow.[17]

Mother rabbits generally feed their babies twice a day — at dawn and at dusk.[18]

6

Allow the kitten to eat at its own pace. It’s essential that you let baby rabbits to feed at their own speed. Not doing so can suffocate or kill the kitten.[19]

The baby may suckle the syringe and you can gently squirt a small amount of formula as they want it.[20]

If the baby isn’t suckling the syringe willingly, give it time to adjust. You might want to stimulate the kitten with a gentle squirt.[21]

You may also want to pet your baby rabbit while feeding her for comfort.

7

Stimulate defecation and urination. It’s crucial that baby rabbits defecate and urinate either before or after each feeding. This helps keep their intestinal tract and urinary system healthy and running smoothly.[22]

You only need to stimulate defecation and urination for the first 10 days of a baby rabbit’s life, or until their eyes are open.[23]

Use a cotton ball moistened with warm water and gently stroke the anal and genital area of the baby rabbit until it starts defecating and urinating. Continue this until the kitten is finished.[24]

Don’t worry that you’re doing something wrong, this mimics the same behavior a mother rabbit would do.[25]

8

Wean your baby rabbits. Continue to feed your baby rabbit formula and solids until she is ready to wean. Depending on what type of rabbit you have, she will wean at anywhere from 3 – 4 weeks of age to 9 weeks of age.[26]

Wild rabbits such as cottontails wean at 3 – 4 weeks, while jackrabbits wean at about 9 weeks.[28]

Part 2

Feeding Baby Rabbits Solid Foods

1

Wait until the baby's eyes are open. Baby rabbits may begin eating solid foods when their eyes open, at about 10 days after birth. You can slowly add solid foods to their formula diet until they are weaned at about 6 weeks old. Don’t feed baby rabbits solid foods before their eyes open. Their intestinal tracts cannot handle solids before this point.[29]

2

Introduce solid food. Once your rabbit's eyes are open, you can start incorporating solid food into its diet. However, domestic and wild rabbits feed on different solids, so know what kind of rabbit you have. Both can eat oat and timothy hay and alfalfa hay; domestic can also eat pellets; wild can also eat vegetables.[30]

Community Q&A

Instead of cow's milk, it's advised that you instead use KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) or Goat's milk. Your baby rabbit may have trouble digesting cow's milk, or it could potentially cause sickness, so that's not a good idea.

Give her a choice of places to nest and don't change anything around as the day approaches. Watch from a distance if you can do so without disturbing her and be ready to intervene if she is distressed or if she ignores or attacks the babies. She should be licking the area between her legs and may pluck fur out. Once the babies start coming, she should clean them up and eat the afterbirth. Don't touch her and give her some space, as rabbits can reject their young if disturbed while giving birth. If you can't see her without opening up the nest, let her give birth alone. Don't open the door to her nest area for a week after the birth, even if this means waiting before you see the babies.

Yes, you should clean the cage even if you don't know when the rabbit could give birth. Just place the rabbit in a separate enclosed area (with a nest box) while you are cleaning the cage. Return the rabbit and nest box when you are done.

How would I know if a female rabbit is going to have babies and how would I need to care for the babies when they're born?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

It can be hard to tell but usually a female rabbit will begin making a nest. She'll use hay and fur from her dewlap (large fold of skin under the chin). She may look bigger in size, too. Once your rabbit gives birth she'll usually take care of her babies. Don't be concerned if she isn't constantly with them, female rabbits usually feed their young once a day and it's often during the middle of the night so you may never see it happen. It's still important to keep a close eye on the baby rabbits to ensure they look healthy.

For the first weeks of the rabbits' lives they need to be with their mother as they drink the milk from their mother like a human baby would. It is possible to raise them yourself in these weeks, but it's not suggested.

To feed your baby rabbit for the first 6 weeks of its life, buy Kitten Milk Replacer and add 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream to each can, since rabbit milk is naturally high in calories. Use a syringe or eye dropper to feed your baby rabbit twice a day. Give it 5 cc’s of formula at each feeding the first week, 10-15 cc’s the second week, and 15-30 cc’s after that. When your baby rabbit’s eyes are open, you can feed it solid foods, too. Start by giving it oat, timothy hay, and alfalfa hay, which all rabbits can eat. For information from our Veterinary reviewer how to feed domestic and wild baby rabbits differently, read on!

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This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987, and worked as a veterinary surgeon for 7 years. Afterward, Dr. Elliott worked as a veterinarian at an animal clinic for over a decade.